Geez, I didn't expect that much positive feedback! But I'm glad all the same! I came across a Mafia!AU thread on a tumblr blog and it gave me the inspiration for this! Also, I needed more practice with angst. This worked good.

Thank you to Momochan77, queenglitch, Stolyint, Fanfictionlover124, Shadowing, starrat, and ApplejaxXD for your reviews! I hope this chapter delivers!

Fanfictionlover124, your Mafia!AU idea was good! I hadn't even considered the two being in rival mafias… but I kinda already had this idea when I asked for everyone's opinion. I'm sorry! I hope you still like this chapter, though! I did my best to rip people's hearts out!

Stolyint, I know I said I wasn't accepting requests but after it occurred to me that I never expanded on the Harry Potter World trip, I got an idea for it. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but I do have a bonus chapter in mind, so stay tuned!

Disclaimer: I still don't own the ORIGINAL characters.

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED 'M' FOR VIOLENCE, BLOOD, SEXUAL THEMES, ATTEMPTED RAPE, MENTIONS OF RAPE, AND MINOR CHARACTER DEATH! DON'T LIKE? DON'T READ!

Life of Crime

Tamaki's eyelids fluttered open in the grey darkness. That was the only way he could tell it was daytime down here; when the cellar was more grey than black.

Grunting a little with the effort, the nine year old slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. His face hurt from pressing against the cement all night long, but he hardly registered the stiffness. It never went away anymore.

Inching across the floor to the cellar bars, he picked up the glass of water waiting for him. Sipping at the liquid, Tamaki had to force himself not to gulp it down. He only got two of these a day… he had to savor it.

"Mon fils? Tamaki, are you awake?"

"Maman!" The blond set down the glass carefully and smiled, even though he knew his mother couldn't see it. Reaching out of his cell, he watched as a larger, colder hand came out of the cell to his left to hold it, "I'm up, Maman. How did you sleep?"

"Fine, fine. And you?"

"Okay, Maman." He hesitated, squeezing her cold hand with his own, "I... had the dream again."

His mother took a moment to respond. Tamaki liked to imagine what her face looked like whenever he told her that. He liked to see in his mind's eye her soft smile, the twinkle in her eyes as she reminisced.

"Would you tell me about your dream, mon fils? I love your dreams."

"Of course, Maman. It started with the screams, like always, but it was the mean men and Uncle screaming this time. You told me to not be afraid when they came down the stairs, and I wasn't, Maman! I heard you laugh. And then… he was there. Papa was opening my cage. You were there, too! He took us home, Maman!" He smiled, a tear tracing his cheek, "And then… I woke up."

There was silence in the cellar once again. It stretched for a moment too long. Long enough for Tamaki to hastily wipe away the tears with his free hand. Long enough for him to ask, "Maman? Tell me about Papa again?"

"Your father…" the woman sighed. Tamaki leaned his head against the cement wall, picturing his mother doing the same behind him, "Your father… was unlike anyone you've ever met, mon fils. He was strong and brave, yes, but also kind. His hands were soft as we danced, and his voice softer. He didn't care who your uncle was, or my last name... he said he saw my soul. He said… he said I had the most beautiful heart of anyone he's ever known. He had brown, chestnut hair and matching eyes. There were scars on his face, but his smile was still beautiful and warm… oh, Tamaki. I wish he'd met you."

Tamaki stared at their clasped hands. His mother's looked so withered, and yet dainty and soft. How graceful she must've been… until he had been born. Until her brother had locked her and her bastard son in the cellar. Until she'd had Tamaki with the boss of a rival family.

Until him.

"Maman? Does Papa know about me?"

"Yes. I told him about you as soon as I could. He wanted to take us, mon fils. He… he wanted us safe. But…"

"...But Uncle found out."

A heartbeat passed.

"Yes."

Creeeeeeak...

Tamaki received one last squeeze before they pulled back. He even inched further into his cell for good measure. His chest tightened as the footsteps grew closer. This wasn't like his dream… and the man staring him down was most definitely not his father. His cellar door was opened harshly, rusted metal screeching in protest. Tamaki's feet felt like they were encased in ice.

"Get up."

Shakily, the blond crawled to his feet. To his left, he heard his mother whimpering as she attempted to do the same. The man didn't shift his gaze once.

Once he was on his own two feet, Tamaki's arm was grabbed. He hissed at the bruising grip as he was dragged into the hallway, but didn't complain otherwise. The thug threw the child against the wall as he shut the cellar door once again. Tamaki quaked in fear. The only time the doors were shut when they were empty… was when the prisoners never returned.

His mother grunted as she was also pulled from her cell. She was thrown to stand beside her son, whom she quickly wrapped in a hug. Tamaki buried his face into her shabby clothes, his shaking dying down a little. He only ever saw his mother every two months or so. He'd never get tired of her kind face. Her warm hugs. Her sweet smile. She caressed his shaggy blond hair once more before they were both shoved towards the staircase. He had to hold her tightly so she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"Move."

They did. Tamaki clutched at his mother as they made their way up the stairs as fast as they could. His mother was breathing heavily by the time they made it, but Tamaki didn't get an opportunity to ask if she was alright. They were shoved down various hallways, the guards not saying anything other than basic commands. Tamaki swallowed when he realized where they were going.

His uncle's office.

The little family was almost bodily thrown into the room, and Tamaki would've appreciated how warm it felt with the fireplace going if it weren't for the biggest details. Tamaki's uncle was staring out the window when they came in, his hands clasped behind his back. The guards had entered the room with them and shut the door.

And there was a gun waiting on the desk.

The only sound in the room came from the crackling fireplace and Tamaki's mother. She was wheezing softly, leaning heavily on her son. Clearly that had been more exercise than she'd been allowed for quite some time. Her knees shook from exhaustion. Tamaki would've asked for a chair for her if he wasn't too afraid to speak.

"There is a quote I heard recently, dear sister. Would you like to hear it?" Tamaki felt his mother stiffen, her hand gripping the back of his dirty shirt with all of her might. She didn't speak, but her brother continued as if she had. He turned away from the window, still not looking at them as he walked over to his desk, "It goes: 'Blood makes you related… but loyalty makes you family.' I take it… you understand why that particular quote caught my attention?"

"Gabriel-"

"Shut it, whore!" Mother and son jolted, pressing closer to each other as Gabriel returned to his calm expression, "I used to believe that we were a family, you know. We were raised together after all. I loved you, sister. I did. But then you ran off with Suoh… and… I discovered how little loyalty and family meant to you."

He looked at his sister in disdain, as if she were something he had found on the street, being pecked at by the rats. But then he turned towards Tamaki. The boy gasped softly. His uncle never acknowledged him… unless he was ordering to have the blond beaten. His heart rate jumped.

"But… there now remains this… thing, as a product of your transgression. It occurs to me that he did not choose how he came into this world. And… he is blood. He could prove useful… should he prove that he is family."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and the thugs jumped into motion once again. One grabbed Tamaki, the other his mother. The small blond made a little croaking sound, attempting to call out but not being able too. The two were pulled apart until they were at opposite ends of the room.

"Gabriel? Gabriel, no!" Tamaki's uncle had picked up the gun. After double checking that it was fully loaded, he walked around his desk and faced his nephew. The blond whimpered, his right leg growing warm as he lost control of his bladder. The fear consumed him. It was impossible to breathe. He was going to die...

… and then his uncle pressed the gun into his hand.

Tamaki stared at the thing in incomprehension. A warm hand grabbed his chin, forcing him to face his uncle. Gabriel stared into his eyes, holding fast as the child tried to squirm away.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, boy, but you need a place in this family. I can't hand it to you randomly, either, so you'll have to prove you're of some use to me." Tamaki sniffled and was roughly shaken in turn, "Don't cry. I can't stand criers. Now… it's very simple. All you have to do is kill an enemy of mine. Can you do that? They did something very bad, and you're going to punish them for me. All right? And then I'll let out out of the cellar. You won't ever have to sleep in the cold ever again. Nod if you understand."

Tamaki shook, but managed a nod. The men around him killed people all the time… so how hard could it be? And then… maybe he could find a way to have his mother pardoned and they would never have to live in the cellar again!

Gabriel smiled, "Good boy. Now…" he released Tamaki and stepped away, "Shoot the whore."

Tamaki froze, his eyes trained on his mother. The woman sobbed, begging her brother to stop. The blond could hardly hear her cries over the ringing in his ears. They wanted him to shoot… his Maman?

"Shut up, whore. Either he shoots you, or you both die. Is that understood?" His mother sobbed once more before turning to face her son. Tamaki could feel something inside of him breaking. He didn't want to die… but he couldn't kill his Maman either… so he was going to die with her.

But then… we'll be together, at least.

His mother smiled gently, and Tamaki thought she understood what he was thinking. He almost smiled back…

"Don't be afraid, mon fils." Her eyes were filled with tears, "Like in your dream, yes? Don't be afraid. Live your life."

Tamaki's sobs caught in his throat. The gun in his hand was shaking something fierce. He wanted to scream. To cry. To kick and wail and tell her he couldn't. He couldn't not be afraid! And he couldn't shoot her!

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, then made a flicking motion with his left hand.

"Maman-"

Bang!

Her body fell to the floor in a lifeless heap, Tamaki's screaming nearly covering up the sound of the gun going off. The guard that had been holding his Maman didn't seem very fazed. He just calmly put his gun back in his holster.

Tamaki's scream rose to a crescendo as he raised the gun in his hand, arm completely steady, and fired.

A second body collapsed.

For a moment, nothing was said. The only sounds came from Tamaki's sobs for his mother and the ever crackling fireplace.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, eyeing the blood that was soaking into the carpet, "I never liked that guard anyways. Rei? Take… Tamaki, to his new quarters. He starts his training tomorrow. He's going to need it if he's to stay alive."

*Across Town*

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Ootori-san."

Yoshio nodded, even as he carefully watched the three men walking into his home, "The pleasure is all mine, Suoh-san. Shall we have this discussion in the living room?"

"I'd appreciate it. This may take a while." Yuzuru turned to his two guards, "Wait in the parlor. I am among friends here." The men nodded to their boss before turning to guard the door.

After they were seated and the tea had been poured, Suoh leaned forward, "Do you know why I'm here, Ootori-san?"

"I assumed it was the same reason that every other Head of family in this city had attempted to contact me, Suoh-san. You want my favor."

"Indeed. And I suppose you've agreed to meet with only me because I offer the best protection?"

"Correct." The two men paused, each letting the other consider the conversation they were having. One of the guards in the parlor cleared his throat. There was the sound of pans clanging against each other coming from the kitchen.

"Then I suppose this meeting won't take very long at all. Very well, right to it, then." Yuzuru straightened up in his seat, "I wish to gain the financial, political, and social favor of your name. The Ootori family is well known for its wealth and your hand in the medical business. Your two eldest son are doctors, which make them highly respected and protected in… my community, and your daughter is currently living somewhere in Europe I've heard. But that leaves you and your youngest son as the biggest targets. You need protection… so, I propose a trade."

Yoshio nodded along, "Very well. I want my home's importance to rank second only to your own building. It will be one of your priorities in the event of any sort of disaster. I will have bodyguards who have been trained by Haninozuka-san himself. And my sons will never be asked to forfeit their Hippocratic Oath, even if their patient is from a rival family."

"Hmmm… agreed. And in return, I'll give you a choice. I want either 35% of your yearly income, which will help cover the expenses that come from your protection… or…" Yoshio raised an eyebrow, holding back a smirk.

Upstairs, a nine year old Kyoya was playing with his blocks. He smiled as he managed to balance a red triangle on the very top of his most recent creation. A clock tower. Kyoya admired the tall tower for a moment before quickly dismantling the building and starting on another, determined to make a replica of his own house this time.

He loved his blocks. They were the only toy he still had. Mostly because father had taken away all the others, saying he was much too old for ridiculous items. The blocks remained because Kyoya hid them underneath his bed and the maids were kind.

But since father was talking business downstairs, Kyoya had some time to himself and his toys. He only wished his big brothers or his big sister were there. They loved playing blocks with him.

The sound of feet climbing the staircase pulled the small boy out of his daydreaming. Hastily shoving the colorful blocks of wood underneath his bed, Kyoya clambered onto his comforter and grabbed the nearest book. It was one of Yuuichi's old textbooks from when he was still studying in college… the only kind of books Kyoya was allowed to have. He didn't understand most of the bigger words, but he liked the pictures and reciting the Hippo Oath for his big brothers. They always ruffled his hair afterwards and told him stories about their fun times in the hospital until he fell asleep.

He was so excited for them to visit this afternoon. He missed them alot.

The door that lead to the hallway opened harshly, startling the book right out of Kyoya's hands. Instead of his father at the doorway or his big brothers, like he'd expected, there were two men he didn't recognize. They were in black clothes and one of them had multiple scars across his face. They looked scary.

They became even scarier when they walked into his bedroom, heading straight for him.

"H-hey! Who are you? Go away- No!"

The one with the scars scooped him off the bed and threw him over his shoulder. Kyoya started shouting in earnest, banging his little fists on the man's back as he was carried out of his room and down the stairs. He stopped squirming for a moment, afraid of being dropped on his head, but once they were on the first floor he continued.

The three passed the living room doors when Kyoya spotted his father. He was shaking hands with another man with brown hair, looking as close to smiling as Kyoya had ever seen him before.

"Father! Father, help! They're taking me! Father!"

"I expect my new bodyguards to be here by tomorrow morning. I'll send Kyoya's belongings along that afternoon." Yoshio didn't acknowledge the expression on Suoh's face, but it would've been hard to ignore. It wasn't shock. More… pity. And a hint of disbelief, but he didn't quite understand the reason behind it. Suoh had been the one to make the offer.

Kyoya's eyes grew wide when his father didn't even turn his head, "Wait… Father? Father?!" The guards walked out the front door, carrying Kyoya with them, "FATHER!"

"Hey? What are you doing?" Kyoya gasped and pushed himself up a little, staring over his shoulder as best as he could. His big brothers were here! He started shouting for them as the other scary man kept them away. Yuuichi continued to call out Kyoya's name, telling the man to put him down while Akito called for their father.

Kyoya's chest filled with dread when he realized his brothers couldn't get to him. He continued to shout, even long after the car door was shut in his face.

The next day, a box was delivered to Kyoya's new room. He sat cross-legged on his bed and picked through everything. Clothes. Toiletries. Glasses case. A couple books...

But the little boy wept late into the night when he finally emptied the whole thing.

They was missing.

His blocks were gone.

*\/*

Two high pitched screams echoed in the night.

Jin raked her fingernails down the man's arm, receiving a sharp yank on her hair in return. Her little sister, Haruhi, was on the other side of the man, screaming for their father at the top of her lungs as the two were dragged into the alley. Jin kicked at the man's shin and was released, only to be backhanded across the face and shoved against the brick wall. Her cheek stung from where the man's ring had dug into her cheek and she whimpered on the ground.

"Shut up, bitch!" A kick to her stomach had Jin seeing stars. Haruhi's screams increased in pitch until she was smacked, too.

Jin pushed herself up to her knees. She knew no one was coming to save them. Living on the streets in their little huts, their neighbors had bigger worries than little girls being raped in the middle of the night. And father… father was working a 'job'. He wouldn't be home for hours, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't be bleeding from between his legs when he returned either.

Haruhi let out another wail and was smacked once more, her hair being yanked harshly enough for some strands to come out, "I said shut up, you little whores! You're going to put those mouths to work if you know what's good for you!"

Jin crawled closer, faking that her injury was more severe than it was. She had gotten good at that while begging for money on the streets. If someone kicked her as a joke, her funds typically doubled over the next half hour. Haruhi's whimpers were killing her, though, so she knew she had to act fast.

The man was breathing heavily as he tried to undo his belt buckle. Jin's eyes narrowed when she noticed something small was in his pocket. A pocket knife?

Perfect.

"Nēchan!"

"Shut the fuck uAHHHH!"

Jin had moved fast. Lunging for the man's pocket and pulling the knife out of his pocket. Without any hesitation, she clicked it open and stuck the blade hilt deep into his thigh. He released Haruhi's hair with a scream and Jin grabbed her sister, dragging her into a run back out of the alley when-

Bang!

The girls gasped, stumbling to their knees at the sound of a gunshot. Neither of them felt any pain, but they still hastily checked each other over for the blood that was sure to be there… only to find none.

Turning back around, Haruhi squeaked and buried her face into Jin's chest. Their would-be rapist lay dead on the ground, his blood making a small pool in the dirt and garbage.

"Are you girls alright?" The new voice startled them, Jin pulling her sister closer to the alley's entrance as another man stepped out of the shadows, "Don't be alarmed. I'm not here to hurt you, I came for him." He lightly nudged the dead man with his toe, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the body.

Jin gently stroked Haruhi's hair as she sniffled in her arms, "Who… who are you?"

"Haninozuka-san."

Jin gasped, "You… you're in the Suoh family, aren't you?"

"You've heard of me?"

The brunette nodded, "You're the only family that doesn't… doesn't target our neighborhood."

Haninozuka-san raised an eyebrow, "Then you're aware that this man was from a rival family?"

"Mhm."

"You've been around this crime all your life?"

"Yes, sir."

Now both of the man's eyebrows were raised. He turned back towards the body, "You put that knife in his leg, didn't you? That was brave, using his own knife against him."

"I… I had nothing else."

"Resourceful, then. And still brave. To be quite honest with you…"

"Jin. Jin Fujioka."

The man managed a small smile, "To be honest with you, Fujioka-san, we could use people with your kind of bravery. You remind me of my son... who has just started training himself only recently."

Jin's eyes grew wide. She couldn't believe… there was no way… "Are… are you offering to… to train me?"

"Depends. Will you accept?"

Haruhi tightened her grip around Jin's torso. She was peeking out at the scary man before them, but continued to hold her sister. Jin glanced down at the younger girl, her brown eyes narrowing as she thought it over. Finally, she looked up, "I won't leave Haru alone. She has to come and watch me train."

"Done." Haninozuka's smile grew just a fraction when the girls both smiled in relief, "Now, you two should head home. Come back here tomorrow afternoon when the clock strikes seven. You'll train in the evenings." He stepped back into the shadows, leaving the man's dead body where it lay, "It was lovely to meet you, Fujioka-san."

The girls watched until they could no longer see the man. Jin let out a deep breath before gently leading her sister back home, "Come on, Haru…"

"N-Nēchan?"

"Hm?"

Haruhi hesitated, "W… Cut my hair off!"

Jin nodded, not even pretending to be surprised, and pressed a soft kiss to the girl's head, "Okay, Haru. I'll get some scissors in the morning. No one's going to grab your hair like that ever again."

*Three years later*

"Fire!"

Bang! Bang bang! Bang! Bang!

"Halt!"

Jin lowered the gun and relaxed her stance. A self-satisfied smirk pulled at her lips as the targets were pulled forward, showing five perfect headshots. Behind her a small chorus of cheers went up.

"Next!"

The brunette exchanged places with Takashi Morinozuka, swapping a high five with the boy as her targets were changed to fresh ones. Plopping down beside the tall boy's cousin she quickly took a sip of her water. Mitsukuni Haninozuka grinned up at her, "That was so good, Jin-chan! No one else has gotten five head-shots on the moving targets, yet!"

"Eh, I'm sure you and Mori-kun will get them today, too. I'm more nervous for paintball next week. It's probably really different when someone's firing back at you." She glanced over at her little sister, who was happily watching the training session with interest from the far wall. "So, am I going to do paintball training with you and Mori-kun only, or is your dad finally going to introduce me to the rest of the class?"

Honey nibbled on his lower lip, his feet swinging beneath him on the bench, "I don't think so, Jin-chan. We're not supposed to tell anyone that you're here, really. My dad got special permission from Suoh-sama to train you, but he doesn't want everyone to know that we're… taking kids off the street. Especially girls."

"Hmm." Jin stared at Mori as he began shooting. She honestly wasn't all that surprised by the decision. The only people who knew she was in the compound at all were the four people in this room and Suoh-sama himself. Oh, and that other guy who spotted her outside one day and made a few lewd comments before she broke his nose.

That had been fun.

Sighing, the brunette leaned back onto her hands as the targets were pulled forward, showing a near perfect score for her friend. As much as she enjoyed spending time in training with the two older boys and knowing Haruhi was in a safe-ish environment for a few hours every day… sometimes Jin couldn't help but wonder about kids her own age.

Honey had once mentioned that there was one other twelve year old in the family, but he wasn't exactly the nicest person ever. Still… she wondered.

*Two years later*

Kyoya was in the middle of his newest book when someone knocked on his door. Quickly slipping a bookmark in, the teenager walked across the rather spacious bedroom and opened the door. A surprising greeted him from the other side.

"Ando-san? What is it?"

"Suoh has requested you in his office."

The ravenet raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same and exited the room. If Suoh-sama wanted to see Kyoya badly enough to send his right-hand man to collect him, who was he to argue?

Kyoya's room wasn't that far away from Suoh-sama's office, so there wasn't much time to chat with the older man about why he was needed all of the sudden. Still, he managed to compile an extensive list of theories by the time they arrived, leaning from a serious mission to (finally) being promoted up to a higher rank. After being a part of the family for more than five years, Kyoya felt a little… unappreciated, to say the least.

Needless to say, he was quite surprised when he opened the door and saw another boy who looked to be about his age standing there. He glanced over his shoulder at Ando-san, who only gestured for him to walk inside, before cautiously approaching the desk.

"You wanted to see me, Suoh-sama?"

The brunet man nodded, but Kyoya was shocked to see… was that a smile? He inclined his head towards the blond boy who was standing on Kyoya's right, "I wished to introduce you to someone. This is Tamaki Suoh, my son."

In the space of an instant, Kyoya's interest in the other boy went from less than two percent to a full one hundred. Whipping his head to the side, he was met with a large smile from Tamaki and a hand outstretched towards him. Quickly shaking the other's hand, Kyoya attempted to piece the information together. He had been completely unaware that Suoh-sama had a son. Let alone one his age. Where had he come from?

"I'm sure the two of you will have much to talk about, but I was hoping you could do that after completing this mission." Suoh's expression turned a little more serious. "A few members of the Suzushima family have taken residences in the upper levels of the MGM Grand casino."

Kyoya stiffened. That was their casino. Suoh seemed to notice the boy tensing up, and he waved a hand, "It's only a few. I have a truce with Suzushima and he's informed me the ones involved have done so to make it a suicide mission and create another war. I don't wish for this to happen, so I'm sending the two of you to… clear them out. Take some back up if you wish, but I want to see how well the two of you work together. Now, off you go."

With two quick bows, the teens exited the office. Almost immediately, Tamaki spoke up, "So, you're Kyoya Ootori, right? Father told me a bit about you while we waited."

The ravenet tried not to feel… bitter as he thinks up a response. It was almost unfair. Sure, it wasn't Tamaki's fault for being the son of the boss, but after five long years Suoh-sama suddenly got a new favorite? And why did it take so long for Tamaki to show up? Even so, he straightened up and gave the blond his best smile, "Yes. I hope what was discussed reflected kindly on my character, considering we are to work together."

"Actually, I tried to get Father to change his mind. But he seems to think that since we're the same age and grew up in this lifestyle we'll get along just fine. I disagree, but I can't complain either. Do you need to grab anything before we go?"

Kyoya gritted his teeth, "No. I always have my gun on my person."

"Huh. That must be interesting in the bedroom. Come on, then. Unless you think you'll need back up." Kyoya's eyelid twitched as he followed the blond towards the elevator. Was the idiot trying to encourage Kyoya to shoot him?

It took nearly twenty minutes for them to reach casino. Neither of the boys had spoken to each other, save to check that their radio communication was working. Kyoya was just hoping to get this over with before he never had to work with the blond again.

He peeked out from the back seat of the car and eyed the windows of the casino's penthouse suite. The curtains were drawn, but he could still make out the faint silhouettes of a small collection of men milling around inside. It looked like they were drinking. Perhaps they were aware that they were on a suicide mission. Did they even knew their boss had given the go-ahead for their death? How stupid of them.

He double checked the number of bullets he had before glancing at his 'partner' for the evening, "Let's make this short and simple. We go in, take out any loners in the hallway quietly, then I'll breach the penthouse suite and you stay in the hallway to catch any stragglers who try to escape."

"No! Are you crazy?" Tamaki was staring at him like Kyoya had grown an extra head, "You'll be shot down before you fire two bullets! Father told me you were intelligent!"

Kyoya felt like he'd been smacked in the face, "I know that suite like the back of my hand! I know what furniture they've likely moved around, the secret back entrance, and the places I can still use for cover! You're the novice in this situation, so let me take the lead and don't get in my way!"

"No!" Tamaki growled, poking the ravenet's chest, "I'm no novice in any sense of the word! I've seen and done worse things than you could probably imagine!"

"Oh yeah? Try me."

"Broken a man's fingers one after another, and then cut off his ear!"

"Found a snitch and tortured his girlfriend with a noose, nearly strangled her for half an hour while a knife was in his thigh."

"Walked into a house to collect some insurance and found the whole family hanging from the banister. Children included!"

"Watched a man be run over by a train."

"Tied down a man on the train tracks!"

"Pushed a man in front of an oncoming train."

"Was told to shoot my maman, and when I refused a guard shot her instead, right in front of me! Then I shot the guard! I was nine!"

"When I was nine my father sold me to the mafia for protection rather than give up any of his profits!"

The boys paused, staring at each other, chests heaving. Tamaki swallowed suddenly and leaned back, "Father said… you joined."

"That's one way to put it." Kyoya glanced out the window before looking back, "Was shooting the guard that killed your mother… what got you into this life?"

"It was a test from my uncle. He said he'd kill us both if I didn't, but after I shot my maman's murderer… I guess he changed his mind." They continued to watch each other until Tamaki starts to laugh, shaking his head, "Oh my god, what's wrong with us?"

"Probably a lot."

Tamaki only laughed harder, and even Kyoya managed a hint of a smile. It was pretty ridiculous. This wasn't typically what teenage boys fought about.

When the blond managed to rein himself in, he was smiling widely at Kyoya, "Okay, okay, we should probably do the job. But I still think I should be the one to go in- No, wait, let me explain. They'll be expecting you. They don't know me yet. I never had any dealings with the Suzushima Family, and Uncle never let me out much, anyways. I'm a better actor than you might believe. Just… trust me."

Kyoya narrows his eyes. He can't remember the last time he actually trusted someone, save for Ando-san or Suoh-sama. But…

"Fine. But I'm not staying in the hallway once the shooting begins."

"Wouldn't imagine it any other way."

An hour later, Ando-san was checking his watch as he stood in the front parlor. They were running later than he'd expected. Leaning against the staircase banister, he stared at the front doors, as if he could make the boys open them with sheer force of will. Yuzuru had been adamant that those two would come back from a successful mission as trusted mission partners in no time at all, but the second-in-command had his doubts.

While he knew both Kyoya and Tamaki were skilled in their field and they'd no doubt complete the mission, he also knew that Kyoya wasn't the friendliest teenager around. Nor the most trusting. And from what he knew of the Suoh kid's past, he probably wasn't quite ready for a touchy-feely friendship-

He heard the laughter long before the doors opened. Ando-san kept his expression passive, but on the inside he was positively gaping in shock. Tamaki was laughing loudly, putting his whole body into the movement, while Kyoya smiled in amusement at his side. The boys noticed the older man at the same time, but neither of them stopped looking pleased. The blond even waved in greeting.

"Hi, Ando-san! Were you waiting on us?"

"Yes. I take it your mission was a success?"

"Yeah it was!" Tamaki was practically bouncing on his toes, a complete 180 from what he'd been like when they'd left. He even held up a hand for Kyoya to high-five, and once he got one continued to bound around, "There was a moment where some guy was sneaking up behind me and Kyoya yelled 'Down' so I just dropped to my stomach and Kyoya took the guy out! It was awesome!"

"I'm glad you liked it, but your acting was quite phenomenal, Tamaki." Kyoya's smile had grown a bit, "Knocking on the door and playing lost? I nearly dropped my gun when they invited you inside for some water! You're one convincing crier."

"What can I say? If I wasn't a criminal, I'd probably be an actor~!" Tamaki dramatically tossed his bangs to the side, the back of his hand pressed to his forehead, and Kyoya started laughing.

"You're such an idiot!"

The two boys continued to laugh, unaware of Ando-san staring at them. Looks like Yuzuru won their bet. How the fuck had he known… Clearing his throat, the man nodded at the boys, "Shall I inform the boss that you two wish to be partners from now on?"

Tamaki nodded eagerly, looking like Christmas had come early, while Kyoya just kept it at a simple nod. But he couldn't seem to hide his smile, either. And once the man started up the stairs-

"I guess you're stuck with me now, huh?"

"It would seem so."

Tamaki laughed again, throwing an arm over Kyoya's shoulders and steering him towards the rooms.

*A year later*

"Please sit."

Jin did as she was told, doing her best to relax and not stare around the office. Suoh-sama was staring her down across his desk, and she had to maintain eye contact. The older man tapped his pointer fingers together once… twice… then three times before sitting back in his chair.

"Do you know why I called you up to my office, Fujioka-san?"

"No."

"Really? I thought it would've been obvious." The man reached down to his side and Jin tensed slightly, relaxing only a little when he dropped a filing folder onto his desk. Flipping it open, he traced the words on the page, "Fujioka-san has shown remarkable progress over her years of training. She now equally matches or supersedes her classmates Haninozuka-san and Morinozuka-san in every field. Her talents in the martial arts are a sight to behold, and is the best marksman I have witnessed in years. All of her assistance in the field has been immeasurable."

Jin wasn't sure if she was still breathing, "Did… did Haninozuka-sensei say that about me?"

"Indeed he did." Suoh flipped through a few other pages in the folder, "Most of these reports have a similar ring to them. I must admit that when Haninozuka-san requested to train a… well, street urchin, I assumed he was doing so out of pity. But now I see it was because he saw your potential."

Jin was silent as the man continued flipping through the pages. He wasn't… he couldn't be…

He flipped the folder shut and returned his attention to the girl, "I'd like to offer you a job position in the family. My only son and heir has gone for too long without a personal bodyguard, and while he and his partner are both well practiced in the field, I don't think an extra set of eyes or another sharp mind will do much harm."

Jin blinked, trying her best to maintain her poker face as she absorbed the new information. Finally she shifted in her chair, crossing her legs, "And… if I were to accept, what would happen from there?"

"Well, for starters you would have to sign a contract stating that you will live in the complex and do the job assigned to you until you are either reassigned, your contract expires, or you unfortunately perish. You'll be paid, as well, though I'd assume you'd want to transfer all of your funds to your family. Most people do. It would be a substantial amount, enough for you to be considered the breadwinner in your family."

Father would never have to 'work' again. Jin can already imagine the happy tears.

"And if I refuse?"

Suoh finally smiled, "You won't."

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that logic." Jin sat forward as the man pulled out a contract from within her personal folder. It already had her name printed on the very bottom, next to where her signature would go. He had been really positive she was going to join. Can't disappoint him then, now can I?

It didn't take long to go over the contract and before she knew it Jin was signing the bottom with a small smile. Suoh nodded in return before calling out, "Tamaki? You can come in, now."

The door opened and a tall, blond boy walked inside. The first thing Jin thought was, Wow, he has purple eyes. The next was, Wow, he's really handsome. Of course, she pushed those first impressions to the back of her mind and gave him a lopsided smile and an extended hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Tamaki. I'm Jin, your new bodyguard."

The blond's eyes lit up, "Oh! I didn't realize you were going to be a girl!" He quickly shook her hand, "It's lovely to meet you, but… if you don't mind me asking… could you give me your qualifications? As much as I trust father's judgement, I'd like to make my own decisions?"

"Of course. I've trained under Haninozuka-sensei for six years and he himself has stated I am equal to or greater than Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai in terms of skills in combat." She inclined her head a bit to whisper, "Also, I've already signed the contract, so you're kinda stuck with me, buddy."

Tamaki laughed, "Well, at least I'll be in good hands."

"It looks like the two of you will get along just fine. Tamaki, if you could please show Jin to her new room?"

"Of course, sir." With a grand sweep of his arm, the boy gestured her out through the doorway. Making their way down the hallway, Tamaki began poking and prodding Jin for more information. Where was she was from? Why hadn't he seen her around before? What was her family like? He seemed really interested in the fact she had a sister only a year younger than her.

They came to a stop one floor down beside a rather empty room, "So this will be your bedroom. I know it looks bare at the moment, but you'll get stuff to fill it up soon enough. Father will probably let you get your things and talk to your family this evening along with giving you your first payment. My room's across the hallway, for obvious reasons. There are only three other kids our age here, and they're all down this hallway. You've already met Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, who are just down that way. And in the next door down from yours is-"

"Ah, Tamaki. There you are." The two teenagers turned around at the new voice, spotting a ravenet walking down the hallway towards them. When he reached them, he handed a small piece of paper to the blond that had an address scribbled on it. "New job. Target is Yoshimura Hirano. He used to have a protection fund with us, but he's been skimming from it. We've been instructed to collect him and bring him back."

Jin blinked as the boy rattled off the job. He looked to be the same age as her and Tamaki, and if he was Tamaki's partner, then he must be Kyoya Ootori. The third party in their new little group. But he wasn't even looking at her… which was rubbing Jin the wrong way.

Tamaki didn't seem to notice, busy nodding along to Kyoya's words. That is, until he looked up at Jin, "Do you need to grab or do anything here before we go?"

"Nah. I'm all set."

"Excuse me?" Kyoya was looking between the two with a confused expression. Jin saw his eyes roam up and down her form, as if just seeing her for the first time.

Deciding the give him the benefit of the doubt, Jin managed a small smile and nodded in greeting, "Jin Fujioka. I'm Tamaki's new bodyguard, just hired a few minutes ago, actually. I'll be joining you two on your jobs from now on."

At her words, Kyoya's expression went from curiosity and confusion to amused disbelief. He did one more full body scan before raising a single eyebrow, "...Really?"

"And what was that tone supposed to imply?"

Tamaki cleared his throat, gently shoving Kyoya down the way he had come from, "Hey, let's get going, guys. Jin still has to get her stuff and move in officially. This'll be quick, right?" Neither of the other two respond, Kyoya facing forward and Jin glaring daggers into the back of his head.

If looks could kill, Kyoya would've been dead long before they reached the address Kyoya had been given. It was a tiny house, but something seemed… off, to Jin. She stared at it in concentration as Kyoya and Tamaki discussed their plan.

Tamaki glanced over at the girl and nudged her arm, "Hey, did you hear that?"

"Do we know how much this guy has skimmed?"

The boys looked surprised by the sudden topic change. Kyoya, of course, hid it well beneath a fine layer of exasperation, "I don't see why that would matter at the moment, but I was told it was a very significant amount. He didn't hide it very well. At all, really."

"Then how come the place still looks like a shack?" The girl narrowed her eyes, "If he were to skim without trying to cover his tracks, then the most obvious move would be to get as far away as possible… but it looks like the guy's still here. And if that's the case, then the next plan should've been to get some good security. Guard dog or something since the police are ours in this part of town… but I don't see anything like that, either. So, either he has a whole lot of firepower in that house and is waiting to blow our heads off… or we're missing something."

She turns to the boys finally, who also look a little intrigued, "People who skim usually try to hide it for as long as possible to maximize profits, but it sounds like this guy didn't even try that. But I don't think he's an idiot either, or Suoh-sama wouldn't have wasted time or money on him. Think someone got to him before us?"

Kyoya looked around the girl at the house, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "So, whether or not there are members of a rival mafia waiting for us or a traitor… it's meant to be a trap."

"Exactly." Jin unbuckled her seatbelt, "So tell you what… they're not going to recognize my face. I go up, pretend to be selling something, and figure it out as I go. You boys sneak around back. Stay out of sight. Sound good?"

Tamaki smiled, nodding along as she carefully climbed out of the car and started making her way down the street. Looking over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at his friend, "Great minds think alike, I suppose."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, come on, Kyoya!" He turned around fully, "That was along the same lines as the plan I came up with on our first job! Don't tell me you missed that!"

Kyoya rolled his eyes, "It was an idea. Whether it's a good idea remains to be seen."

As it turns out, it was a good idea.

A very shaken Yoshimura Hirano appeared at the doorway when she knocked, barely opening the door all the way as he immediately tried to get Jin to go away. As she chatted with the nervous man, the boys snuck around back. No one shot at them, so regardless of how many people were in the house, they were clearly paying attention to the front door.

"Listen you idiot girl, I have nothing to give you. Now go away before you regret it."

He blinked rapidly when the girl just continued to smile, "Oh, Hirano-san… are you sure you don't have any money for me?"

There was the sound of clattering chairs further inside the house, quickly followed by a door being kicked in. Jin grabbed the man's arm and pushed them further into the house and to the floor, landing on top of the screaming man as gunfire echoed around the house.

Jin rolled off the man but stayed belly to the floor as she fired her gun twice, hitting one man in the back and another in his firing arm. Both went down. Only one screamed.

In fact, he was the only one screaming.

Standing back up, she offered a hand to the man beside her, pulling him to his feet. He was staring at the bloodied bodies in his house with a very pale face. She managed to turn him around just in time for him to throw up into the umbrella stand by the door.

Tamaki marched up to the thug Jin had got in the arm and hit him across the face with his own gun, knocking him out cold. He then glanced around at the carnage, "I don't recognize them. Nice job keeping one alive, Jin." She shrugged before jerking her head towards the client behind them, "Do we still bring him in or leave him to take care of the bodies?"

"Take him. He might be able to explain what was going on if the other man is tight lipped. We'll send someone back for the rest of them." Kyoya quickly tucked his gun away, "Tamaki? Help Hirano-san get his stuff. Jin and I can call up the car and contact your father about this… unusual collection."

It took a little while before Tamaki could convince the older man to step through the living area and into his bedroom, but once the two were gone Jin turned around to find herself face to face with a certain ravenet. "Yeah?"

"I must apologize for doubting you so much, Fujioka-san. Suoh-sama clearly knew what he was doing when he hired you." Kyoya gave her one of his signature smiles, "I hope we work well together in the fu-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there." Jin pressed a hand against the boy's chest, slowly pushing him until he was forced to take a step away. "My job is to protect Tamaki, which I will do, no issue. You, however? You are no priority of mine. Especially not after the crap you pulled when we first met. Please understand it's nothing personal, it's just… actually, it is a little personal. And some business sprinkled in. Just be aware that if you ever suggest that my being a girl in anyway affects my ability to be a part of this family, I will treat you like I treat every man who thinks of me nothing more than their future conquest."

And with that, she gave him a bright smile and walked back towards the front door.

"And what happened to those men, dare I ask?"

Still grinning, she tossed the words over her shoulder, "Check the infirmary. Or the morgue! Or the cemetery~!" And then she's gone, disappeared around the corner and out the door. Probably to go get the car.

Tamaki pokes his head out of the bedroom, clearly having just heard the whole exchange. As casually as he could, the blond stepped over the bodies before coming to stand by Kyoya's side. He copied the ravenet's line of sight towards the front entrance before tilting his head towards the other.

"So what do you think of her?"

The question seems to have snapped Kyoya out of whatever funk he was experiencing. He spun on his heel and marched towards their living captive, "She's a bitch, plain and simple. Arrogant after only one plan and probably won't be able to admit to any mistakes she makes in the future. And did you hear what she said to me? Judgmental while I try to apologize then threatens to kill me! Lumping me in with those... and clearly she has no regard for the lives of people she's not being paid to protect. I'll work with her because she's keeping you alive, end of story, but don't expect me to like her."

Tamaki smirks, "Right. Just make sure to use protection."

"Tamaki!"

*\/*

Jin was currently hanging upside down in the compounds training room. Her legs were hooked over the pull-up bar while her arms hung freely above her head, fingers sometimes coming up to pull at the tangles in her hair. She stayed there for a few more seconds before the head rush got too painful, then quickly grabbed the bar and unhooked her legs, dropping back to the floor.

The responding near-blackout had her leaning against the wall for a second, but the moment it faded she sighed again.

Yup, Jin was bored.

Bored and confused, actually.

Nope! Not thinking about it! She grabbed the pull-up bar again, tucking her feet up so she was just swinging from the metal. Unfortunately, she was still thinking about it.

Groaning, she dropped back to the floor and walked out of the training room, hoping that in her roaming she'd find something to do that would take her mind off of… whatever. Her usual go-tos weren't exactly available at the moment, which was a big part of her dilemma. Honey and Mori were giving their younger brothers a few one-on-one sparring matches, and since Chika always stumbled and got his ass handed to him when she was in the room Jin did her best to avoid his training.

Tamaki would generally be next in line, but right now Jin didn't feel like telling him stories about all the trouble Haruhi had gotten into when she was little. Sure, she loved talking about her baby sister and all the cute and funny things she had said before reality took it's hold… but she was feeling kinda… homesick at the moment. She hadn't seen her sister or father in months, not since she had helped move them into the apartment near the open market district, and she missed them.

But being homesick is probably better than whatever this is.

The brunette stopped at the edge of the front parlor and turned around, pressing her forehead against the wall. She was tempted to smack her face against it repeatedly, but couldn't afford to. She lost enough brain cells as it was dealing with Kyoya Ootori on a daily basis.

Ba-bump

"Noooo…" With a whine she slid to the floor, curling her knees up and leaning her side against the drywall. What was wrong with her? Everything had been just fine until the job two days ago!

Jin risked a single tap of her head against the wall as the night came back. It had been a simple hostage rescue of one of their own… until Tamaki was cornered, of course. Jin appeared in the hallway just behind the man, saw the gun pointed at Tamaki's back while he untied the unconscious hostage, and shot the man without a second thought.

Her aim was perfect…

… as was Kyoya's.

The man's head exploded in a spray of blood and tissue from the force of a bullet hitting it from two angles at the same time. Shocked, Jin stood still for a few seconds, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Tamaki didn't even turn around as he shouted his thanks to her, unaware of his best friend walking up to the dead man from the other hallway.

He spotted Jin and gestured at the body with his own gun. She nodded, then repeated the gesture. He nodded.

So… he really does care.

They hadn't spoken about it since then. After that there had been nothing to do besides paperwork, and since Jin didn't have much of that to do in the first place she became stuck in a cycle of training, eating, reading, talking with Tamaki, and her thoughts.

Those were usually scary enough as they were, but now with these weird feelings about Kyoya they were 5 times worse. Feelings that maybe he wasn't that bad of a guy? She'd been getting those kinds of vibes for a while, of course. Like when she caught him cracking a smile at Honey-kun's cute behavior. Or when he encouraged Tamaki while they worked out. Or the one time he lent her one of his books after she confessed she was interested in it.

Kyoya was becoming both easier and harder to figure out, in that he didn't seem like a total asshole, but Jin didn't know what he was anymore.

"Jin? What are you doing out here?" The brunette looked up from her sulking to find, surprise surprise, Kyoya staring at her as he closed the front doors behind him.

The question 'where were you' was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Kyoya raised an eyebrow, pausing in unwrapping the scarf from around his neck to cross his arms instead.

"Not that I cared you were gone. Just curious as to where you were."

"So I gathered." The boy stared at her for a few moments longer before rolling his eyes, "Well, if you must know, I was visiting my brothers. Now, if you have no more questions-"

"Your brothers? The doctors?" Kyoya paused, one foot resting on the bottom stair. This time Jin met his eyes as the silence stretched between them. And for some reason she felt a hint of relief when the boy put both feet back on the black and white tiles.

"You know my brothers are doctors?"

"Well… yeah. Most people here know. I heard Toyotomi-san talking about an Akito Ootori who stitched him up after we rescued him. I assumed there was some sort of relation between you two and after asking around…" she shrugged. "It's nice you still visit them."

"They're the only ones I can or wish to visit." Kyoya stuffed his hands into his pockets, now only a few steps away from the girl on the floor. It didn't escape his notice the way her leg was bouncing in a constant rhythm, a finger tapping the opposing arm at the same time. Was she anxious?

She cleared her throat, hesitantly scratching at her cheek, "Um… I also heard another rumor."

"If it's in regards to the people who assume Tamaki and I-"

"No!" Jin snorted, the humor coming out despite her best efforts. Those rumors were really funny to her for some reason, "I… um… I was talking about the ones… about how you joined?"

Kyoya carefully sat down in front of the girl, taking extra care to keep his dark blue button-down away from the dirty floor beneath him. Even so, Jin was surprised at the boy's decision to sit with her, but said nothing. What was there to say?

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "What did you hear, exactly?"

"Something about a jackass of a father."

"Hmm. Accurate enough."

Jin blinked, forgetting for a split second that she was supposed to hate the boy, "What the fuck is his problem?" Not giving Kyoya a chance to interrupt, she pulled away from the wall and jumped to her feet, "What the fuck kind of person would give away his own son? He was fucking rich and couldn't think to give part of his fortune away even when his son was the other option? I hope I end up in Hell because then I can meet him down there and give him what he deserves, a round of bullets in his face!"

Kyoya's eyes were wide as he watched Jin pace the length of the wall. Her arms flailed out occasionally, pretending that she was strangling an invisible person before her. He was… surprised wasn't exactly the right word. Tamaki occasionally did this when they had more 'serious' talks, and Kyoya agreed with the sentiments in regards to the blond's uncle, but he hadn't ever considered that Jin might possibly agree with it. Sure, his father was a cruel businessman on a good day, but-

"I'm sorry I'm painting such a vivid picture of how I see your father, but goddamn I hate him and I've never even met him… yet."

"You don't even like me."

Jin finally stopped, meeting Kyoya's stare, "Did… did you think I wouldn't care? You're my partner."

"Well, no... because you don't even like me."

"You're my partner." Jin sat back down, facing the boy, "Why are you still arguing that?" Deciding to file away that information for later pondering, Kyoya requested a subject change. That got a laugh from the girl.

"Fine. Tell me about your brothers. You clearly still like them."

Kyoya nodded, "Well, you already know I still visit them. Since the hospital is neutral territory, I can visit them without an extra danger coming to their persons. I don't think my father is aware that I do it, and I never visit on Mondays so I've yet to come across him." A small smile began to stretch across his face, "When I was younger… they were my only playmates. Them and my sister… oh, yes, I had a sister, too. She moved away to England some time ago, and that left us boys. They'd play blocks with me, told me stories, and helped teach me to read when I was younger. I'd even recite the Hippocratic Oath for them, to the best of my ability. They seemed to like that."

He glanced up and saw Jin smiling softly at him. It was an expression he hadn't seen on the girl before, and something tightened in his abdomen. Clearing his throat, he made a nodding gesture towards her. Her turn.

"Eh… not much to tell, really. Grew up on the streets. Mom passed away when I was about… six? No friends to speak of, other than my little sister, Haruhi. I call her Haru. She's the cutest thing ever, and so smart. My dad… he had to prostitute himself to get us money. He cried when I told him all the money I was getting from my contract here. They're living in the open market district. Last I heard Haru is getting reading lessons from their new neighbor... but I haven't seen then in months."

Now Kyoya was the one smiling as he listened. He'd heard a bit of her backstory from Tamaki, who was oddly taken with the stories she had of her little sister. Haruhi clearly loved Jin, and she, her. It reminded the ravenet of his relationship with his older brothers. But he still had one more question.

"Jin? How were you recruited?"

The brunette took a moment to collect her thoughts, leaving only the sound of the heaters running above their heads, "Well… it was at night. And Dad was gone. I was putting Haruhi to bed when… when a man ripped off the curtain that acted as our front door. He had us by our hair and dragged us outside and into the alley. No one came to our screams. And… he let go of me to smack and kick me. I played up my injuries and he ignored me, but he still had Haru. I spotted the outline of his pocket knife and… when he was unbuckling his pants I grabbed it and stabbed his leg with it. Haninozuka-sensei shot him afterwards, because he was from the Tonnerre family. He said I was brave, and offered to teach me how to defend myself better. So… here I am."

She didn't expect him to say anything. Most "I'm sorry that happened to you"s didn't mean much. It was a common enough occurrence where they were that there wasn't much to do but accept it.

So when Kyoya gently held her hand and said that man had deserved what he'd gotten and far worse, she wasn't even able to respond. The only thing she could do was nod when he suggested they get something to eat, maybe a hot drink after those heavy topics.

And even as they walked together towards the kitchen Jin wasn't able to carry on a simple conversation. Nothing about the past twenty minutes had helped her at all. Kyoya Ootori's story had come further out into the open, and yet it was like he was gradually becoming more obscure.

Little did she know, the boy beside her was thinking the exact same thing of her.

*Time Skip*

"Go go go!"

Tamaki and Jin raced across the lawn, black masks covering everything but their eyes, which were trained on the house they were fast approaching. On cue, the outside lights shut off, concealing the teens in total darkness. There wasn't even a full moon to help. But that didn't matter.

Tamaki knew the place like the back of his hand.

Their lockpicker finished with the back door the second they arrived, pushing inside along with the five other members on their heels.

The two friends exchanged a nod before running in different directions. Tamaki for the office. Jin for the cellars.

Inside her head, Jin was cussing up a storm. She didn't think twice as she slammed her gun across the face of the first person she came across, kicking him as he crumbled for good measure. Fucking Grantaine family! Fucking Kyoya and his fucking brothers! Fucking kidnappers!

The moment they heard Kyoya had been grabbed on his walk back from the hospital, Jin and Tamaki had been in the car with a handful of guards and a burning desire to make those responsible pay. And their desire only increased when they learned exactly who had done it.

Tamaki was finally going to have his long awaited 'chat' with his least favorite uncle.

Still, despite everything, Jin couldn't help but be gracious that it was the Grantaine family who took her friend, or else they might've had to wait even longer before coming up with an attack plan. This way, Tamaki knew the most likely place they'd have him prisoner, and where to find the people responsible.

But it still didn't seem fast enough to her. After knowing him for two years, the idea of Kyoya being tortured and in pain was driving Jin crazy. She should've insisted that he wait until one of the cars came back to use! Should've gone with him! Should've should've should've with that stupid stupid boy!

She passed closed door after closed door, keeping her ears and eyes peeled for any sign of Kyoya.

And she got it.

"You know, I'm getting tired of this. He's not going to give us anything, Suoh's got his claws in him. And that kid is his friend. He won't sell him out if he hasn't done it yet."

"What do you suggest?" Jin inched closer to the door and listened. She was only a few doors away from the one that lead to the cellar, so this was probably one of the rooms designed to be a torture chamber. Which meant...

"Make an example for the little traitor. Drown 'im."

She kicked the door open and registered that there were three men in the room. Two of them she didn't recognize. The third had his head forced inside of the rather large bucket of water in the middle of the room. His knees were on the floor, arms tied behind his back, and head completely submerged as he writhed and struggled. Ice cubes floated along the top of the water line, mixing with the occasional bubble.

And then she started shooting.

The men barely got out their cries of alarm before they were lying on the floor, bloodied messes. Kyoya's head burst out of the water, the boy gasping before promptly coughing up a mouthful of water. With a sob Jin shut the door behind her and ran to him, yanking off her mask and dropping to her knees she pulled Kyoya away from the bucket of ice water. He continued to cough, throwing up some more water on the floor as she cut his binds off. Immediately he was leaning forward on his elbows, shaking like mad from the cold and the exertion.

Jin gasped a few times, trying to blink the tears out of her vision, "Glasses… your glasses…" Not spotting the familiar silver frames anywhere, the girl frantically pushed the ice bucket over, spilling its contents all over the floor. She shivered as her sleeves and pants immediately began soaking the frigid water up, but ignored her discomfort at the sound of tinkling metal.

"Jin?"

Grabbing the frames from where they'd come to rest on the floor, she hurried back to Kyoya. He was still coughing, but it looked like he was finished with getting all the water out, which was a relief. She knew with the cold water they'd have to get him out of those wet clothes as soon as possible… but she wasn't instructed to leave until Tamaki gave the all-clear.

Slowly pulling the boy closer, she hugged him tightly. Kyoya let out a sigh of relief as he felt her body warmth, shutting his eyes and letting himself catch his breath. Jin was still crying, combing her fingers through his hair in an attempt to squeeze the water out while the boy rested.

"Jin? Where… where are my-"

"Right here."

Hastily placing the glasses back on the boy's nose, she pulls away enough to cup his face. The ravenet manages to offer a small smile as she came into focus, "You look like shit."

"So do you," Jin laughs, "You… you fucker!" She punched his shoulder, "Don't you ever fucking threaten to die on me again! I'm getting Suoh-sama to put you on house-arrest for a week, you utter bastard! Where'd you get the idea it would be okay to do this?"

Throughout the girl's continued rant Kyoya was smiling still. His eyelids fluttered at how good her warm hands felt on his face, "I'm sorry for worrying you, then."

"You'd better be! You'd better never do something this reckless ever again!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Jin finally sighed, rubbing her thumb across the boy's cheekbone before pressing forward and laying a gentle kiss on his lips.

Just as she pulled away a new voice sounded in her ear, "Jin? You can stop beating Kyoya up. This is the all-clear. The boys and I will clean things up here, you take him home and take care of him."

"Thanks, Tamaki." The brunette stood up, hauling Kyoya's rather pliant body with her, "Come on, Glasses-boy. Let's get you home and out of those wet clothes." The ravenet nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the house. He didn't speak all the way back to the compound. Not even then, really.

Jin's stomach was twisted with concerned as she lead him up to his room. Worry gnawed at her mind, questioning as to whether the little kiss they'd shared had something to do with Kyoya suddenly being mute. It had been a spur of the moment thing, kissing Kyoya. She had just been so happy to find him alive and… perhaps not entirely well, but he was still fixable. Nothing had been cut off, though there might be a bit of trauma regarding bodies of water from then on and a threat of pneumonia in the next few minutes, but Kyoya had still been smiling because she had come to save him…

She couldn't help herself.

Kyoya unlocked his bedroom door and Jin took a step back, "You should probably get out of those wet clothes and into something dry. Do you need anything before I go? Hot tea or..." He didn't say anything, just turned around to stare at her. Jin scuffed her shoe against the floor. Sometimes she wished he would just tell her what he was thinking.

The ravenet leaned his head a little closer, turning left and right to look down the hallway. Jin swallowed. What was he going to say?

She was allowed to worry for another two seconds before the boy threw an arm around her waist and kissed her, pulling her into the room. Jin made a small squeaking sound against his lips before she became lost in the feeling. Her back collided with the dark wood of his door, effectively shutting it at the same time while his wet body crowded her against it.

She faintly heard the lock click in place before Kyoya's hands began roaming up and down her back. Clutching at the boy's shirt, in the back of her mind Jin registered that Kyoya was still wearing his wet clothes.

She smirked into the kiss.

Not for long.

Kyoya didn't move as Jin frantically unbuttoned the shirt, only groaning heatedly when she pressed her warm hands against his chest before biting at her bottom lip. The cold fabric dropped to the floor just behind his ankles, which they stepped over as the ravenet pulled the girl further into his bedroom. Various articles of clothing were thrown this way and that, neither of them even considering stopping. Jin gasped as Kyoya tossed her onto his dark blue bedspread, the softness of the fabric caressing her bare skin. He stepped out of his underwear as he joined her, kissing her lips once more before moving down her jawbone.

Jin couldn't help the little whine that escaped when he nibbled at her neck, but somehow her voice remained soft and teasing, "So eager…"

"It's been awhile." Even if he didn't laugh, Jin could feel the amusement in his voice as he left various marks above her collarbone. She rolled her eyes and gently tugged at his damp hair.

"You gonna remember where everything goes?"

She replied to her own question with a moan as the boy moved further down, back arching a little to allow Kyoya to slip a hand behind her back. Despite the callouses on his hands and his cold nature and skin, his grip was soft as he handled her.

Jin was gasping softly, but not done teasing just yet, "Now… don't go thinking this will become a regular thing, Mr. Ootori. I've got a reputation…"

Another amused sound was hummed against her skin before the boy pulled away by an inch or two. Kyoya gradually adjusted himself until he was completely hovering over her body, a mere breath away from her lips and with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Of course not, Ms. Fujioka. Never."

They were both lying, of course, but there wasn't a need to say it.

*\/*

It took Tamaki roughly an hour to find out about Kyoya and Jin. He hadn't even bothered to knock on his best friend's bedroom door once he heard the noises coming from within. About a week later he revealed to Jin that he knew, and wasn't surprised by the development either. A full month passed before he brought it up with Kyoya, along with an 'innocent' question about the girl's skill in the bedroom, considering the ravenet had yet to find release with anyone other than her since they started.

After taking another month after that to let Kyoya cool down and finally agree to be his work-out partner once again, Tamaki stopped asking the ravenet questions about it and settled for teasing. So long as he didn't touch on the sheer number of 'one-night-stands' the two had or their lack of other partners, Tamaki's words often drew a hidden smile from the ravenet and a blush from the brunette… even now, an entire year later after that first night.

Internally, Tamaki wasn't surprised whatsoever. He had expected it ever since the two overcame their differences and started treating each other like valued partners. Of course, he had also expected this not-so-open relationship even if he thought it was pointless for them to pretend they weren't exclusive. But they had to figure it out themselves.

But even so…

The blond dropped his head back and sighed, closing his eyes in a suffering way. Lifting a hand to his right ear, his finger found the well-worn button and pressed it, "I swear to God, you two. If you flirt over the comm during the mission again, I'm going to physically walk in front of the next firing squad I find. Wait until the sun sets at least, Jesus fuck!"

Jin's soft laughter echoed in his ear, as well as Kyoya's whispered reminder that if Tamaki died because of them the blond's father would have them joined in the afterlife before long.

But he didn't deny the flirting.

In the left wing, Jin found herself grinning to herself as she also noted the lack of a denial from her nightly bedmate. Shaking her head, she continued to move through the 'house'. Somewhere in this sprawling array of rooms was the money they were owed. And it would've been collected without a problem if the Komatsuzawa family wasn't so stupid or didn't have such a death wish. Who the fuck would think it was a good idea to steal the money meant for the Suoh family and take it for themselves?

A gentle buzzing in her ear alerted the brunette that Tamaki had made it to the office. It always was a nice power play whenever Tamaki snuck to the Boss's office only to knock on the door and be invited inside.

Jin carefully eased another door open, after hearing nothing from the other side. She was both grateful and concerned that Kyoya had ended up with the wing that consisted mostly of living quarters. That was always the more nerve-wracking straw to draw…

The door swung open into a dark stairwell. If she had to judge based on the musty smell and it's overwhelming darkness… definitely a cellar. Probably had a few cells or torture rooms down there, but it didn't sound like-

Jin stared into the dark. A decent half of her brain tried to remind her that she had a job to do, but she still decided to make her way down the stairwell, shutting the door behind her and flicking on the lights as she did so. The moment the lights flickered to life above her head and further along her path, Jin heard it again.

The sound of clothes shuffling against cement.

Someone was down here.

Keeping her feet close to the wall to minimize creaking, Jin eventually inched her way into the cellar. There were five little jail cells along each wall, and the first four of each of them were empty.

The two at the end that faced each other were not.

Twin boys with fiery red hair blinked out at her from the furthest corners of their cells. The one on her left was curled in on himself, and the other had sneakily grabbed the leg of his chair, looking like he was ready to throw it. Briefly, she wondered why the boy would think throwing a chair at someone with a gun would be a good idea, considering both boys were chained to the floor with thick shackles and the second boy in particular was covered in bruises and cuts, but she wasn't allowed to think on it for long.

"Who are you?"

For a shackled boy, she had to admit he didn't sound all that afraid. Jin glanced at his twin and lowered her gun experimentally. He relaxed a little.

She offered a small smile, "I'm Jin. Who are you?"

"Hikaru. And that's Kaoru."

Jin looked at the shyer boy and back again, noticing how Hikaru's grip on the chair leg had tightened. She filed that information away for later before asking, "Why are you in here?"

His knuckles went white, "I knew it… you're here to punish us!"

"No."

"Don't lie! I know how those fuckers work! This is your initiation! Punish the prisoners! Well do your worst! I'm not afraid to fuck you up, cock-sucking Bitch!"

Jin just blinked. She might've believed that this Hikaru was actually really angry if it weren't for the terrified squeak in his voice. But when she turned back to Kaoru, the poor boy had already curled back in on himself, staring at her in fear. Jin suddenly understood.

"You're riling me up so I leave Kaoru alone." Hikaru faltered, his face going as white as his grip, "And if I make any motion I'd hurt your brother, you'd throw that chair of yours to reclaim my attention. Which is why you're so beat up."

"S-shut the hell up you motherfucking slut! I-I bet you've let all the boys upstairs have a go already! Whore!" And there went the chair, slamming into the bars and making them rattle with an echoing boom.

Jin held her breath and stared at the ceiling. Waiting… waiting…

A full minute passed before she could breathe easy again. There were no sounds of footsteps and Kyoya hadn't asked what the noise was. Hoping she hadn't gotten any grey hairs from that moment, she turned back to Hikaru. The boy was shaking, his eyes wide and pupils tiny.

She walked closer to his cell, not missing how the boy was tensing up. No doubt preparing for her to walk in and start beating him with her gun and adding another bullet hole in his leg. Judging by his pants and the many scars she could see, it wouldn't be the first time he'd been patched up after a 'session'. Though… the blood stains that decorated almost every inch of his clothes and sheets from his bed had been left alone.

The Komatsuzawa Family's employees seemed to enjoy having their toys around for a long time.

The two stared at each other, multiple scenarios flying through their heads in the space of an instant before Jin bent down and reached through the bars. She easily flipped the chair back onto its legs, which had somehow remained intact.

"You're the eldest, aren't you?"

Hikaru's lower lip shook, but eventually he nodded.

"You've done well protecting your younger brother, Hikaru. And I would know. I would've done the same for my little sister." Her eyes caught how his shabby trousers had been ripped almost completely down the middle. Very stained with blood. When their eyes finally met again, there was a small sheen of tears along his lower lids. "I'm getting you both out of here."

"Please!" Behind her, Kaoru had all but thrown himself at the bars, staring at her with pleading, golden eyes. Hikaru made a small noise that might've been a rebuttal, but he was too choked from keeping his tears back to really speak. Jin decided to let him think for a second while she pulled a ring of tools from her back pocket -just for emergencies, of course- and quickly popped Kaoru's cell door.

By the time his shackle was off and she had helped him into the hallway, Hikaru had made his way over to the door as well, "You're serious?"

"The Suoh family never goes back on their word."

Less than a minute later and the second boy was free. The twins hugged each other for a long moment, Kaoru's tears falling without a second thought. Jin felts tears threaten as well. When was the last time those two had touched each other? How many beatings and rapes had Kaoru been forced to witness? How many had Hikaru taken upon himself so that Kaoru would be left alone?

"Jin? Kyoya? Turns out Komatsuzawa's eldest son stole the money to get back in his mother's good books. I have it-"

"Give it back."

There was a pause.

"Jin? Is something the matter?"

"Tamaki, give the money back and say it's payment for the two 'toys' I just found in the cellar. I don't care what your father says, do it."

"... If you say so. Kyoya? Help Jin and get whatever she found into the car. I've still got Hotta in case things go South."

Jin used the following six minutes waiting for Kyoya to assess the boy's health and any pressing issues. They were horrifically malnourished, which wasn't surprising, and were probably also dehydrated. She made a mental note to give them each a small bottle of water when they got into the car. It didn't look like they had been beaten in a while, which was good, and none of their wounds looked life-threatening at the moment. It looked like the biggest damage would be psychological.

Even still, the moment Kyoya was down in the cellar with her, Jin eased Kaoru onto his feet with her arms around him, "We need to take them to your brothers. Now." Without question, Kyoya was helping Hikaru to his feet and they began moving the red heads up the stairs.

Tamaki's exchange must've gone over better and faster than Jin had expected, because the blond was waiting for the four of them by the car when they arrived. Just as when Kyoya had showed up, the twins regressed a little. Kaoru went mute and curled himself into Jin's arms while Hikaru spit insults as an answer to every question or statement the blond had to make.

But, like Jin knew he would, Tamaki saw past their actions and offered to talk to his father about bringing the twins into their family as soon as Kyoya's brother's released them from the hospital. Hikaru went quiet and Kaoru managed a smile before they were eased into the car.

Jin went to climb after the twins into the back when Hikaru held out a hand to stop her. For once the fire in his eyes had completely died, leaving the scared little boy she knew had been hiding there the whole time. With a shaky voice that was a higher pitch than she had heard before now, he asked, "How can you even trust us? How do you know we won't just turn on you?"

Spotting the questions for what they were, Jin managed a smile, "Because I don't think you feel anything for the people you have hurt you so badly and care nothing for others. Because the people we're taking you from have never felt just as scared and terrified as you do now." She let the sentence hang in the air before tacking on, "But we do."

And, finally, Hikaru smiled.

It was weak, and he collapsed into tears against his brother a second later. But it was a smile nonetheless.

*That Night*

Kyoya didn't really bother with 'reasons' when it came to sex.

If he wanted it, he could easily find a willing woman almost anywhere to entertain him for a night, especially with his looks. And if he wasn't feeling like putting in that much effort or no pretty dame caught his fancy, his hand worked just as well.

But there was something… different about sex with Jin Fujioka. A certain realness to it. This wasn't a random girl plucked up at a bar whose name he wouldn't even remember once they finished. This was Jin. A name he couldn't forget, even it he lost everything else. It spoke of soft brown hair he could lose himself in stroking late into the night even after it's owner fell asleep. It brought up memories of golden-brown eyes that twinkled at jokes and teasing alike, harbored flames when angered, and looked as soft as satin when they stared back at him in the early morning light. He could almost perfectly recall how soft her skin felt against his hand, pressed to his cheek… his lips.

Jin was fire and snow and sharp and soft and fair and tough and emotion and logic and a billion other things that fought against each other in nature but somehow managed to produce this single, extraordinary being.

So when it came to 'reasons'...

"That was incredibly brave of you to bet Suoh-sama's money against those twin boys."

"Their names are Hikaru and Kaoru."

… well, he never really ran out of them.

They had progressed as they normally did these days, with a little more foreplay than their first time, teasing kisses and wandering hands as the clothes gradually disappeared. But soon enough Jin was on her back and Kyoya was crawling after her.

He couldn't help but smile as he lightly traced a finger along the chain of the girl's necklace. She returned the smile, content with watching his face as he took his time with her. Almost lazily, Kyoya flipped over the metal bar that rested in the hollow of her neck to stare at the cursive writing on the other side. It was upside down from his view point, but there was no mistaking his own name. A pleasant warmth filled his chest whenever he saw Jin wear it. And considering she only took it off to sleep, Kyoya was getting pretty damn used to how nice that feeling actually was.

The ravenet ducked his head to kiss the necklace before continuing on with what they were doing.

A few minutes later and his ears were filled with the usual moans and soft calls of his name. Kyoya had his head tucked, keeping his eyes closed as to let the sounds wash over him. Normally this would be around the time he'd start whispering those dirty words he could come up with so well into her ear, but he wanted this to go for a little longer tonight. So instead of words he gave a particularly rough thrust, which was met with short fingernails scratching themselves down his back. He moaned against his will. She knew he loved the pain. No doubt he'd have red lines crisscrossed all over his back come morning.

That was one of the things Kyoya liked so much about Jin as a sexual partner. She knew what he liked, sure, but still managed to surprise him when she used the knowledge to her advantage. It was the same thing vice versa, too, but Kyoya didn't think on that too often. At least he tried not to.

Just like how neither of them had even looked at another person for sexual pleasure since their first time together. Or how Jin actually hadn't ever been with someone before Kyoya at all as far as he was aware. No… Kyoya didn't think about that when he could avoid it.

Opening his eyes, he had to fight hard against the orgasm he was working towards. The sight below him was definitely one to behold. Jin's head was thrown back into his pillow, her hair spread out in a big mess across the emerald green pillowcase with a few crimps in it here and there from the ponytail she'd had in earlier. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her cheeks were flushed as Kyoya's name fell from her lips over and over again.

Not wanting to ignore his calling, Kyoya bent his head and carefully sucked at the skin beneath her ear. The salty taste of her skin washed across his tongue as her neck vibrated with her moans. One of the hands on his back moved back up. But instead of scratching him again, Jin wove her fingers into the boy's black locks, making a moderately loose fist before tugging ever so gently.

Kyoya's hips jumped, causing a full body roll from the girl beneath him and yet another tug. Jin let out a gasp and relaxed the fist, letting her fingers run carefully through his hair. Her nails, which had previously been scratching near-bloody rows down Kyoya's pale back, were now pleasantly itching his scalp.

He damn near purred…

But he definitely whispered, "I love you."

He didn't stop moving, but internally Kyoya's brain short circuited. He wanted to freeze after such a big declaration and start denying what he'd said, but kept going because of three reasons. One, because since they were in the throes of pleasure Jin might not think much of it. Two, she might not have even heard him at all. And three… he had meant it. And perhaps she would think the same...

Still, he had to hope for the second one. That would be much easier. It was safer. It was-

"I love you, too."

This time he did stop. Jin began sobbing as soon as he did, and Kyoya pulled out before falling to his side. Collecting the brunette into his arms, he held her against his chest as she began lightly hitting her fists against his chest. It wasn't like he could do anything else, either. He was busy staring above her head towards the nightstand that was encased in darkness. While Jin was already suffering, he was having a little trouble… accepting the situation.

"You moron…" her hits were getting weaker, "You… god… damn... damn you to Hell, Kyoya Ootori. I fucking love you, what have you done to me?"

A kiss to the top of her head stopped the words and the hits, but she continues to sob. And it was no secret as to why.

Fuck buddies was one thing. It implied there were no feelings. No strings, no attachment, no complications. Now with that arrangement completely debunked, they had both become bigger targets, not just for themselves but to lure or hurt the other. And their feelings were a danger to not just themselves, but their jobs. If Suoh-sama knew that two of his employees felt a stronger tie to each other than to him… how would he react? Would he just kill them on sight?

In a small area of their minds, they knew that last bit wasn't the case, but it definitely emphasized the point. They were screwing up royally, but neither could they fight it.

Fuck.

It takes a moment before they're calm enough to face each other again. Kyoya hadn't considered what he was going to say. He should've told her that they should've tried to stop. To distance themselves in this part of their lives. Or even flat out cut her out. It would've been easier.

Instead, he gently caressed Jin's cheek with the palm of his hand, his thumb swiping at the tears still escaping from her lower lids. She didn't pull away. In fact, she lightly grabbed his hand with her own, shutting her eyes against the familiar feeling.

Kyoya cautiously pressed a kiss to her lips, a gentle smack noise echoing in the quiet space between them when they parted. Jin let out a deep sigh against his lips, letting her forehead come to rest against his as well.

"I love you, Jin Fujioka."

"And I love you, too, Kyoya Ootori."

It took Jin less than fifteen minutes to drift off to sleep in the ravenet's arms, exhausted from the crying. Kyoya took a little longer, pressing kisses around the girl's face until she drifted off, then just watching her peaceful dreaming.

*\/*

It was the twins who had originally suggested it.

The month of April had just started up, making it a little less than a year since they had been absorbed into the Suoh family. Kaoru wanted to celebrate it, but Hikaru didn't want it to be obvious what they were celebrating.

So knowing that Tamaki's 18th birthday was coming up, they settled on that. The rest of their little group of seven agreed, even if they all knew what they were really celebrating. Honey, still enough of a child at heart to be considered 'cute', had offered the idea of getting ice cream. Just like normal teenagers.

He didn't say that last part out loud, but it was heard pretty clear all the same.

When the night of April 8th finally arrived, the teenagers were actually pretty excited. They walked to the little shop, rather than take one of the many cars available. After all, they were seven of the most heavily loaded teenagers in the city. No one would bother them.

It took several minutes, but as the compound began to fade in the distance behind them, the unspoken tension began to dissolve around them. Jin felt the smoothness of Kyoya's new silver ring as he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. She tucked herself a little closer to the boy and delicately stroked the metal band. It was only her imagination, but she swore she could tell exactly where on the inside was the engraving of her name.

The tension only dissipated further the longer they stayed out. Mori and Kyoya watched in amusement while the other five sang along to any song they knew from the shop's radio, and even some songs they didn't know. Honey did his best to dodge Mori and his emergency wet-wipes, claiming he was saving the ice cream on his nose for later. From there, Tamaki stuck his own nose into his ice cream and got everyone laughing. The laughter only grew from there when the blond winked at a couple passing girls and they still blushed and giggled.

They stayed at the little picnic table for hours. Near the end, Hikaru and Kaoru were standing up at either end of the table, each mockingly pretending to be the other before they bent in half from their laughter. Everyone else joined in with it before, eventually, Kyoya stood up and pulled Jin with him. The others groaned and complained, but followed the couple from the table. Honey took extra care in folding up the little drawing of a bunny Jin had made for him and tucked the napkin into his back pocket for safekeeping.

On the way back, no one mentioned how they were going slower than usual. They were all too busy swapping ideas for more outings. Tamaki wanted weekly movie nights from then on. Hikaru and Kaoru tried to convince him to talk to his father about letting them use the casino. Honey was skipping along ahead of them all, "casually" wondering if there was a petting zoo nearby.

Jin and Kyoya… just hung back. They were no longer holding hands, but instead Kyoya had an arm wrapped around the girl's waist, her head on his shoulder. It was another thing the group had noticed, but didn't speak about… they were acting very much like the couple they both mentally knew they were. Instead of worrying what someone else would say or imply should they even look at each other, Jin and Kyoya were free to touch. To exchange short, cute little kisses every now and again. To share a few licks of each other's ice cream and snuggle together on the picnic bench. To hold each other and smile and stare into each other's eyes until a wadded up napkin hit Kyoya in the face (which neither twin had owned up to).

That evening had been the most fun, laid back couple of hours most of them had ever experienced before in their life. And they had loved it.

But the laughter and smiles died the moment they rounded the corner.

Their complex stood at the end of the street.

The door had been kicked in.

And there was the sound of gunfire and screams.

Without a word, everyone drew their guns and retreated back. Jin took the lead without much preamble and began running down multiple alleyways until they ended up behind the building with the sounds of a war zone. She hastily pried open a small doorway that the boys would've completely missed if she hadn't done so. No one asked, because they knew this must be the door she had used to sneak into the complex for her training.

It lead into a dark hallway with only one other door at the far end. Honey, being the smallest and quietest, slipped out and found himself behind all of the extra punching bags, the doorway blending in perfectly with the brickwork. He was in the training room.

The room was quiet, so when he peeked inside and sobbed, the sound was as jarring as the gunshots coming from the rest of the building.

While everyone else quickly piled out into the room after him, Honey had already run out from the hiding place to kneel by his father's body. The man was laid across two smaller bodies of trainees. Honey didn't know whether he was crying because of his father and the dead children, or the fact that neither of them were his little brother or cousin.

Tamaki looked between the crying blond and his best friend briefly before tapping his foot against the tile floor for attention, "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai stay down here. Keep an eye on the front door. Don't let anyone escape. And search around to see if some of the trainees managed to hide."

He received two deft nods before running out the door, quickly followed by the remaining party.

They don't find anything other than bodies at first, which is a little odd. Especially when they make it up to their own bedrooms. Carefully slipping into each room, the five look for survivors or stake-outs, but find zilch.

Kaoru nibbled his lower lip as he peered around Jin's room. If they were planning on taking the compound, then they must know about us. So if we weren't here when they arrived, wouldn't they assume we'd come back sooner or-

Bang!

"Aaaah!" Kaoru dropped to his knees instantly, the following bullets sailing harmlessly over his head and into the wall. Frantic footsteps follow the sudden sound, both from inside the room and out in the hallway. Adrenaline helping to numb the sharp pain in the red head's shoulder, he rolled sideways underneath the bed just as his assailant ran around the furniture to finish the job.

But Jin was faster.

Kaoru whimpered as the body fell to the floor beside him, allowing himself to think of the pain in his arm. There was the sound of shuffling before two pairs of hands hauled him out into the light. He gasped as his shoulder caught the edge of the bed.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru was knelt by his twin's head immediately, tentatively pulling his shirt sleeve away to check the wound. Bullet hole in the shoulder. There was a decent amount of blood, too.

The older of the two boys stared at Jin in desperation, silent as she pulled out a knife and sliced off a strip of her shirt, pressing it into his hands. Hikaru immediately started bandaging his brother while Tamaki and Kyoya kept sentry at the door.

Tamaki risked a glance over his shoulder at the trio, "We need to keep moving. Jin and Kyoya, you're with me. Hikaru, get Kaoru into the bathroom then stay at this doorway. No one gets down those stairs except us, got it?"

His response was a deft checking of remaining bullets and a firm nod.

No one bothered to mention how the complex had gone unnaturally quiet as they continued up floor by floor. It was painfully obvious. Thankfully they found a few more survivors who had holed up in their bedrooms and were passed by. This wasn't a surprise either.

The further they went, it was obvious that whoever did this had a very specific destination in mind.

The hallway that lead to Suoh-sama's office reeked of blood and fresh corpses. They were everywhere. The walls had been redecorated by multiple bullets, and where there weren't huge holes, there was blood. Two of the lights had been hit in the firing, so the entire hallway was bathed in an eerie dim light.

Cautiously, the three eighteen year olds made their way over the bodies. Perhaps it was the lighting, or the extensive wounds, or perhaps even their own subconsciouses, but they couldn't name most of the people they stepped over. A few they could, however.

One was Akira Komatsuzawa, the eldest son of Komatsuzawa-sama. His ugly sneer still on his face despite the fact his eyes had glazed over. Jin swallowed when she spotted the boy's two bodyguards just behind him. Tomochika Sakyo was slumped against the wall, head tucked to his chest. Chikage Ukyo looked like he could've been sleeping, the shorter boy sprawled over the other's long legs, eyes shut and head on a bent arm.

A quick check proved that was not the case.

It was a shame. According to the twins, those two had always been the kindest of their guards. Never beating the boys and trying to tell Akira to relax on their punishments. Jin was glad the red heads weren't with them.

A few steps over and Tamaki made a small noise. A quick look at the long scar running down the man's face was an easy identifier, even if his nose was missing. He was the Head of Security for the Grantaine family. Someone Tamaki knew very well. They didn't bother to check for a pulse.

Finally getting up to the door, all three teenagers had to stop and stare. Because there was a single body sitting in the corner with multiple wounds embedded in his chest.

Ando-san.

There was a slight ring of space around him, rimmed by a low wall of bodies. The black-haired man had two guns in hand, fingers still on the triggers. Kyoya stepped over the bodies and knelt before the man. He reached out towards his neck... hesitated… then gently closed the man's eyes.

Jin laid a hand on Kyoya's shoulder, which was immediately clutched in silent desperation.

Tamaki probably would've copied the move, but just then heard a noise coming from his father's office. Stepping over the body of his father's personal guard as quickly as he could, the blond peeked through the ajar doorway.

The office looked even worse than the hallway. Complete and total carnage. The desk was kindling and the bookshelf had been toppled over. Glass was scattered all over the floor and some of the bodies. Only one person was still standing, his left temple was completely covered in blood from a head wound and Tamaki spotted more than a couple bullet wounds in his left leg, but the stranger was still moving as he pointed a gun at someone on the floor.

Tamaki fired from the doorway and the man collapsed.

Pushing inside took longer than Tamaki wished it had, but by the time he was able to squeeze in, he had identified the last living person in the room. His father was lying on his back, head leaning against a part of what used to be the cushion from his chair. His clothes were soaked in blood, a majority of it escaping from the gaping wound on his belly. Each breath is a raspy gasp that sounded less painful than it probably was.

It wasn't until Tamaki knelt by his father's side and took his hand that the brunet opened his eyes.

"Ta-maki?"

"Father, hush. Save your strength. We need to get you-"

"There is no taking me anywhere, my boy. I am dying."

"Father-"

"No, Tamaki." The blond shook, tightening his grip as his father took in a steadying breath, "I need you… to promise… Take over the family. It is… what you were born… to do."

The blond was sobbing now, shaking his head but agreeing to his father's wish at the same time. Yuzuru managed to smile around the pain, stroking his thumb across his son's fingers.

"You look so much like her… your mother… would be proud of you." Another shakier inhale, "I'll give her… your love. Promise… to keep her soft heart… Tamaki. It's what… I loved… in her… and… you…"

"I will, Father." The blond stared at the face of his father with a small smile through his tears. The expression faltered when the older man was silent. "Father?" He shook the limp hand in his grasp, "Father! Father, come back!"

The tears wouldn't stop coming. Tamaki bowed his head and cried into his father's bloody shirt, never once letting go of his hand. His throat closed up around his pleading, his begging for his father's chest to once again rise and fall.

He had no idea how long he had stayed there, but his father's hand had gone cold when he finally let go of it. Taking in a few more deep breaths, the blond turned around.

Kyoya and Jin were watching him from the doorway. Kyoya's eyes were rimmed red, but it was Jin who had wet cheeks of her own. Somehow, Tamaki felt a little better. He still had them. There were still people who he loved and loved him in return.

Realizing the shift in his friend, Kyoya tightened his grip on Jin's waist and straightened his back, putting on his 'business' face.

"What do you need us to do… Boss?"

Tamaki almost smiled, the new title would take some getting used too.

"We've got work to do."

*\/*

Tamaki stared at the desktop before him. There were a few papers before him that needed to be read, and then signed. The phone on his right was expected to ring within the following hour from the police station in regards to the last Grantaine member's upcoming court case. And then there was a list of construction and renovations that he needed to call in about and set a schedule for completion within the next month.

Considering it had been a month and a half since a majority of the Suoh family had been wiped out, Tamaki knew they couldn't do much serious recruiting until Honey had a training center up to par with the schedule he and Jin had come up with. Thankfully, Hikaru and Kaoru had taken to their new jobs as mission coordinators well. They were keeping up with the money collections just fine, not letting a single person miss a payment without their knowledge.

The knock at his office door pulled Tamaki's thoughts back to the present. A word from him and it opened, Jin and Kyoya walking inside. The blond spotted Mori standing on the other side, taking his new role as Tamaki's personal guard very seriously it seemed.

The three friends exchanged smiles as Tamaki leaned back in his chair, "Ahh, have my friends come to relieve me of my boredom?" At the raised eyebrows, he slumped forward, "Or has my Chief Strategist and my Head of Security come to give me more work?"

Jin rolled her eyes, "A mixture of the two, actually. We have a request."

That caught Tamaki's attention. Kyoya and Jin, as his most trusted advisers, had done a lot to help Tamaki get the family out of the dirt. They had helped a lot with reining in the last of their members from immediately launching a counterattack on the Grantaine and Komatsuzawa families after Tamaki made the decision to let the police handle it. Most of the Komatsuzawa family, including their Boss, hadn't had a clue as to the plan of it's heir, and Tamaki knew the last thing they needed was an all out war between the families. So if they were coming to him for a request, then they must be further out of the dark than Tamaki had realized.

That certainly relaxed the teen a little more and he leaned back in his chair, "Is that so? Well, what can I do for you two?"

"We'd like a door to be placed between our rooms." Now it was Tamaki's turn to raise an eyebrow. He had a feeling Mori had a similar expression from his place outside the door. While the bluntness of the request was to be expected of Kyoya and the request itself was similarly expected, Tamaki didn't think it would've come to him so soon after their promotions.

"Is this your way of asking if you can get married to each other without actually getting married?" The blushes and small smiles were answer enough, even though the couple both mumbled agreement regardless. With a laugh, Tamaki gave his friends a wide grin, "Oh, please, don't be embarrassed. You've been pretty much married for a year now- don't give me that look, Kyoya Ootori, I know all about your engraved ring and Jin's necklace. I'll add it to the renovations list. But now I should probably tell you that you should not forge a marriage license between you two, despite the fact I know I'm definitely putting the idea in your head and I would love to be your only witness, it's a part of my job to at least say I'm not supposed to endorse something so binding between two of my employees. But… I suppose you're more family than employees…"

Jin's smile hadn't faltered the whole time Tamaki spoke, and while Kyoya's emotions were hidden a little better, the sparkle in his eyes was so clear and obvious he might as well have been singing.

From the other side of the door, they heard Mori's muffled voice, "Mitsukuni and I will be there. So will Hikaru and Kaoru."

Jin ran around Tamaki's desk and hugged her friend in his seat. Kyoya just shook his hand before allowing Jin to pull him out of the office. Probably for victory sex or to just go out and get the marriage certificate immediately.

Tamaki stood up and shouted down the hallway after then, "But don't make this 'request' thing a habit! I can't always give you special treatment."

"Yes, you can," Mori added before shutting the door for him.

*Downtown*

If you were to compare Haruhi Fujioka as she was now, at the age of 17, to when she was 8… you wouldn't even be able to recognize that they were the same person.

At the moment, Haruhi was roaming the bookstore just down the street from her family's apartment. She was short, as the average person's height went, but it didn't bother her all that much, and she liked that it matched her short brown hair. Said hair was, yes, still short, but instead of looking ragged and dirty, it was regularly washed and cut at the barber shop a few streets down to give it a more stylish appearance. Similarly, her dirty and ripped clothes had been happily replaced with nicer ones with more color and definitely stayed in repair more often than not. Not to mention her grateful exchange of those cracked glasses for contacts. She really liked how her peripheral vision was more enhanced when her vision wasn't confined to two square frames.

That peripheral vision is what saved her that day.

At the time, she was innocently reading the back of a new book after plucking it off the shelf. There was quite a lot of talk about dragons, which is probably why she didn't take notice of the front door opening and shutting. The welcoming from the shop's owner also fell on Haruhi's deaf ears, but the following sound did not. She hadn't heard it for a few years… so she was almost too late in reacting to it.

A safety clicking off.

Haruhi dropped to her knees and the books above her exploded into scraps of paper. She opened her mouth but couldn't actually hear the resulting scream she made. Thank god for Kichibei-san and his paranoid self. The owner had his own gun out and firing the moment the stranger had opened fire on Haruhi, only his shots actually met their mark.

The man crumpled to the floor with a shout of pain, a hand clasped on his thigh in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Haruhi remained in a crouched position, huffing and puffing as her heart rate attempted to slow back down. It wasn't until Kichibei-san beckoned her closer that she willed herself to move.

By the time she got close enough to hear the strange man's whimpering, the bookshop owner was on the phone. Something about getting an ambulance for some idiot who's gun had gone off in his own pocket because he left the safety off.

The man's face was ashen, his body probably going into shock from the unexpected attack. He looked… young. Barely older than Haruhi was, probably. But the bags under his eyes spoke of age and sleepless nights as he stared the brunette down, even from his position flat on his back.

"Watch your back, little girl. Your onēchan has made… a lot… of enemies. You're as good as dead…"

He spit at her, and Kichibei slammed the side of his head with the butt of his own gun. After a few seconds, he returned his attention to the phone call, "Oh, no. He's refusing to believe it was his fault. He tried to attack me because apparently I shot him. I had to knock him out, sorry." At the insistent look in the man's eyes, Haruhi got back to her feet and headed towards the door, dropping the book in her hands to the floor as she did so.

It was probably dangerous of her to do so, but Haruhi wasn't very watchful as she made her way back home. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

So this is mafia business. There's no other reason for that man to have mentioned nēchan if it was anything else. They know where I am, and where I frequent, and they want to kill me. And they probably know about Dad, too. So we're in danger so long as we're on our own, out of protection from another family.

By the time Haruhi was climbing the stairs to her family's apartment, she had an idea in place.

Looks like it was time to take a leaf out of her sister's book.

*\/*

The advertisement hasn't even been up for a full day before she sets up an interview.

On that day Haruhi dresses herself up in her only crop top, which was an accidental purchase, really, and a pair of short shorts. She even allows her father to apply a small amount of eyeliner and mascara to her face. The only thing she forwent were a pair of heels, hoping her small size would help her odds.

An extremely tall black haired boy answered her knocks. For a moment Haruhi's voice is lost, mostly because he looked oddly familiar… but she found it again soon enough.

"I'm here for an interview with Suoh-san."

The man nodded and held the door further open for her, not saying a word as he shut the door before leading Haruhi further into the complex. They went up a few stairs and down a rather long hallway before coming to a stop outside of a freshly polished oak door. Haruhi straightened her back as the man knocked for her. From the other side came a faint 'come in'.

There was a tense silence as Haruhi quietly padded over to the single chair left in front of the desk. She tried not to stare, but she hadn't expected her future employer to look so… young. He looked to be about Jin's age, which was close to Haruhi's age. It certainly made her feel a little better about her plan.

Settling herself down into the chair, she met Suoh's gaze evenly. The blond was eyeing her up and down, but it was more of an assessment rather than undressing her with his eyes. The nervousness loosened even further.

"You don't seem afraid."

"Why would I be? I'm the one who applied, didn't I?"

The boy seemed to appreciate her reply as he shifted in his seat, "Then I suppose you know exactly what you're signing up to be?"

"Yes. Sex doesn't bother me. My father prostituted himself when I was younger, so-"

"Wait, wait, slow down there!" The blond laughed lightly, waving a hand, "It's not just sex, you know? If you take this job, you are to be my pet. You'll be my constant companion, you'll live in this building, you'll be surrounded by this family's… work, day in and day out."

"Fine," Haruhi shrugged, not revealing how she actually hadn't been aware of those extra parts of the job. The boy narrowed his eyes at her.

He tilted his head, "Why do you even want this job? Clearly you are very intelligent and, if I may, very independent. Your safety might be a little on the line and there are more… respectable jobs out there for a woman such as yourself."

Haruhi shrugged again, blunt as ever with her following comment, "Well, Dad and I are already in the firing line because of you. The Suoh family and it's employees have no shortage of enemies, it see- What are you doing?"

The blond was now halfway bent over his desk, eyes thin slits as he attempted to burn her face off with his eyes. When he spoke again, it was in carefully measured words.

"You're… Jin Fujioka's… sister. Aren't you?"

Haruhi's mouth fell open, but couldn't think of a proper response. How had he figured it out?

"She's told me a lot about you, Haruhi. We've been friends for years, after all, and she's saved my life more than once." He grabbed the phone off of its receiver and punched a number. After a few seconds, someone on the other line picked up, "Kyoya I need to talk to Jin. Don't play coy, I know she's in there with you. Honestly, why did I give you your own office- Jin? Get down to my office. Now." And he hung up.

For about four minutes, the two didn't say anything, just staring at each other. Haruhi was twitching a little under such an intense gaze, but refused to be the first to look away. After growing up in the streets, she knew such an act was enough permission for the other person to do whatever they wanted with you.

Then the door opened, and the spell was broken. Haruhi turned around and almost cried at the sight of her older sister, whom she had missed dearly. The only thing she hadn't expected was the slightly-too-large green button-down shirt Jin was wearing. Tamaki merely rolled his eyes at the clothing.

"What's up, Tamaki?" Jin's brown eyes landed on her little sister and instantly her entire demeanor changed, "Ah, fuck!"

"Hi, Nēcha-"

"She's not taking the job."

"Jin-"

She slammed her hand against the open door, "She's not taking the fucking job, Tamaki!"

"Yes I am, Nēchan!" Haruhi stood up, raising a defiant chin, "I'm not afraid to be in the Suoh family! I have no choice if you want Dad and I to stay safe! We've become targets to get at you!"

Jin went a little pale, "No… you could just stay here-"

"We're not going to mooch off of you. This works, Nēchan." She finally turned back to Tamaki, who had been watching the scene with odd fascination, "That's my part of the bargain. Don't pay me anything. Just give my father room and board in this complex.

"No… Haru…" Jin stared at her baby sister with an abnormal amount of emotion, like the floorboards were being pulled out from beneath her, "I… I never wanted this life for you."

"Tough. You're not the only Fujioka who can hack it in this life."

Despite the situation, Jin managed a smile, "Hell hath no fury like a raging Fujioka."

"Damn right."

Tamaki finally broke his silence, laughing out loud, "Well, I certainly like you enough to give you the job, Ms. Fujioka. But I suppose…" his purple eyes bounced between the sisters, "I suppose you'll need quite a bit of extra protection, considering not only will you be my pet, but you're also the only sibling of my Head of Security."

Haruhi couldn't help but glance out of the corner of her eye, "Seriously?"

"Heh… Your onēchan has got a pretty good thing going on here."

"So I hear. When do I get to meet the owner of that shirt?"

"You can meet your future brother-in-law later, you little shit."

Tamaki cleared his throat before Haruhi could respond, "Anyways, Jin, can I entrust you with such an important side job?"

"Sir," she crossed her arms with an excited gleam in her eyes, "It would be my genuine pleasure."

"Then it's settled." He eyed both girls again before waving them towards the door, "Oh, go on. Move Haruhi and your father into the complex and catch up. Haruhi, I expect you in this office at 7 am tomorrow morning to finish going over your contract and officially give you the job. Agreed?"

"Sure thing."

"Got it."

Tamaki watched in amusement as the sisters left the office, Haruhi managing to give Mori a little wave even as she started grilling Jin over what her big sister had gotten into over the past few years.

"So, exactly how messy is your criminal record?"

"My criminal record? The only illegal thing I've done is absolutely kill it in heels on a Saturday night!" There's total silence for a few beats before she continued, "Just kidding. I've killed several people."

He could still hear the girl's laughter even after the door shut.

I should be working on my other stories that haven't been updated in a long time, or perhaps my homework, but this would NOT leave me alone! It also turned out a lot longer than I thought it would. And a lot more angsty, too. I hope you liked it, though!

If you liked, please favorite, follow, and leave a review! I'm not taking requests, but there were a number of scenes and plots that I've never written before that I would like to hear back on. So if you see an area I can improve in, please let me know!

See you next chapter!